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Ohio Gov. Signs Bill To Allow Guns In Capitol Lot

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has signed a bill allowing guns to be left in vehicles parked in two garages located under the Statehouse and other state office buildings.

The Republican governor signed the measure Thursday amid national calls to reduce gun violence.

Kasich says he sees the measure as unrelated to the Connecticut school shootings in which 20 children and six adults died. The governor says it protects Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

The new law also changes how the state defines an unloaded weapon and eliminates a competency requirement for renewing concealed-carry permit holders.

Lawmakers removed a provision allowing out-of-state gun owners to automatically carry into Ohio without the attorney general's signoff if their state had agreed to such an arrangement.